Michigan remains in the thick of the Big Ten title race with Saturday's matchup against Iowa looming -- a team it hasn't beaten in six years. It's Senior Day.

And yet, all anyone appears to want to talk about is the quarterbacks.

OK, fine. I present to you this week's mailbag: Quarterback Edition.

Question: If Denard is not well enough to play this Saturday, I find it unlikely Hoke would start him at OSU, considering his length of time out and the continuing possibility of re-aggravating the injury. Sounds like he would be rested for the bowl game. Would you agree? -- Blueroses

Answer: Not exactly.

Considering how well Gardner has played at quarterback the past two weeks, leading Michigan to two wins, there certainly isn't an immediate rush to get Robinson back other than the fact he's a senior with two games (plus the postseason) remaining in his illustrious career.

Michigan's offense also has evolved without Robinson, and would have to further adapt if the senior returned. That's tough to do on the fly, and could be even tougher to execute in Columbus. So you may not be wrong in saying if he doesn't play this week, he might not play next week.

At the same time, though, coaches recognize what Robinson means to this team -- everything. He's a senior, a captain, and the face of this program. If he's truly healthy for Ohio State, I think he plays in some capacity, even if it does disrupt the offense's natural evolution.

Michigan won't withhold a healthy Robinson from the field. It just won't.

But if Robinson is hindered at all, there are many reasons to stick with Gardner, including having the ability to maintain an offensive game plan (more passing) that has worked the past two weeks -- in fact, worked better than the Robinson game plan in his last few games.

Question: I really think Denard needs to play this game, don't you? They have to find a way for him to get on the field, that's the right thing to do. Do you think he will start? Or play for a little bit? -- Scott

Answer: Robinson's career has been singular, without question. No one put up the kind of yardage he did, and he did it with style. He'll be remembered for sticking through a coaching transition that, arguably, affected him more than anyone. He lost his coach, his system and his way of football.

But he stuck around, showing great character, and helped lead Michigan to some memorable wins and an 11-2 season.

Having said all of that, it's without question unfitting if Robinson's Michigan Stadium career ends in a baseball cap. And, from all I can tell, that'll be the case. He's not expected to start, although Michigan has yet to make that announcement.

Hoke did say this week that he'd "think about" getting Robinson on the field for a ceremonial last play at that stadium, so it's possible he steps on the field against Iowa. But that comment also seems to suggest that Robinson won't start.

Question: What's the status of QB Russell Bellomy, who played so poorly against Nebraska? Sounds like he's been vaporized or left the team according to Coach Hoke's non-comments?-- Bruce Getzan

Answer: At last check, Bellomy appears to in fact still be a solid. But we don't know much else. Hoke at first called it an "injury," although he's since referred to it as a "condition" and won't say more. It's likely we've seen the last of Bellomy for the season and, considering Gardner's strong play the past two weeks at quarterback, it appears Bellomy no longer has the inside track to starting at quarterback next season. His future is murky at this point.

Question: The media has been slow or timid to follow-up on questioning the decision to play Bellomy in the Nebraska game over Devin Gardner. The columns I have read about Gardner's story seem to leave out that critical piece out of the narrative. From a journalist to a reader, what do you think is the reason the media has laid off? -- Brian Coburn

Answer: We've asked Hoke and offensive coordinator Al Borges multiple times about the decision to play Bellomy over Gardner against Nebraska, and the reasoning is clear (and sound): Gardner had not been taking QB reps in practice, and Bellomy had. It would have been unfair to throw Gardner under center without repping the game plan and having a feel for the position.

And that seems like the right call. A lot goes into playing the position other than taking a snap and throwing a pass. There's protection schemes and rhythms with the tailbacks and timing and recognition of defensive schemes, etc. Gardner wouldn't have had a feel for any of that.

The only decision that can be questioned is whether it was smart to move Gardner away from quarterback in the first place, but that's easy to do now, after Bellomy flamed out. Coaches thought they had something in Bellomy, and Gardner's athleticism made him the team's top playmaker at receiver, a position that otherwise lacked them.

Question: Do you think that being at receiver for the first part of the season helped Devin Gardner become a better passer and overall better QB, or is it a non-factor? -- TulsaTom

Answer: Gardner says his tour at receiver helped, noting he now better understands what wideouts go through and where/when they like the ball. And that makes a lot of sense, right? I think getting that other vantage point probably helped him.

As for his accuracy, I have no idea where that came from. He never looked this sharp when he actually played the position, both in games and in the spring game.

Gardner is probably a little behind in some areas of quarterbacking, considering he stopped taking reps for so long, but he's clearly developed in some key areas and can pick up the rest as he goes along.

He's definitely playing his best quarterback now, after playing receiver for months. There's something to said for that. Probably not an accident. You know?

Question: Heard on the radio that Gardner's initial move to receiver and Bellomy's ascension to No. 2 quarterback had a lot to do with the staff, particularly Borges, trying to phase Gardner out. Once they saw Bellomy was not the answer they went to Gardner to return to quarterback and are now praying for the redshirt that they were not originally going to pursue. Interesting on many fronts if true. Have you heard similar? -- a0dibart

Answer: No. No. No.

Not to say any of that isn't true -- what happens behind closed doors is a mystery. But according to everything I've heard, Gardner and the coaches mutually agreed to move him to receiver for the year because he wanted on the field and Michigan needed help at receiver. It was a mutually-beneficial move.

Hoke said it was always the plan to move Gardner back to quarterback next year, which contradicts the "phasing out" comment from the radio. Plus, consider Bellomy would have been the only scholarship quarterback in spring ball, if Gardner stayed at receiver. That wouldn't happen. He was going to get a shot next spring, even if he did eventually stay at receiver.

As for the redshirt, it makes no sense Michigan wouldn't pursue it. He's an athletic specimen at 6-foot-4 and, even if he didn't play quarterback, would have been a major asset at receiver for as long as he had eligibility.

Not sure where this talk originated, but I'm not buying any of it. Gardner is welcomed by Michigan, embraced playing receiver even though he'd rather play quarterback and is a part of this team's future for as long as he has eligibility. Period.

Question: Is it just me, or does it seem our running backs are playing better with Devin Gardner at quarterback? -- Mik

Answer: Well, Fitz Toussaint did have his best game of the season last week against Northwestern, and that's probably not an accident. Michigan is under center more with Gardner, which means there are more two-back sets and playaction, which can help loosen things.

More importantly, though, Gardner is offering the vertical threat that Robinson never did. Teams were cheating against Robinson, loading the box and anticipating the run without fear of getting beat deep.

Gardner has shown consistently that he can hit receivers down field, which makes defenses play more honest. That helps create creases for the backs.

Robinson was good enough to beat even a loaded box. But Toussaint hasn't been. With Gardner, those boxes are lightening up and, for a game at least, Toussaint found room to run.

Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for MLive.com. He can be reached by email at kmeinke@mlive.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.